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tkdguy

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I really don't have a problem with game companies protecting their IPs. Especially in the case of the online games the article is talking about. With single player abandonware, at least the people putting it out seem conscious of not putting up stuff that actually has much chance of being re-issued in a new format (like bringing old console games back to handheld consoles and phones/tablets). The private server crowd seems to have a huge segment in it for the money.

 

Let's say Sony shuts down EQ and EQ2 when (if) EQ Next comes out. (Unlikely, but this is a hypothetical.) Then some private servers for EQ and EQ2 spring up to "archive" the games for posterity. Whether they monetize their efforts or not (unlikely, running servers costs money, as does maintaining an online game), they are taking money out of the pockets of the IP owners. It doesn't matter if the IP owners have really deep pockets, it's still theft. Even making single player versions of the clients and distributing them has a similar, though likely smaller, effect.

 

So, big fat "meh." If someone wants to run a game server, let them program a game to run on it.

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I really don't have a problem with game companies protecting their IPs. Especially in the case of the online games the article is talking about. With single player abandonware, at least the people putting it out seem conscious of not putting up stuff that actually has much chance of being re-issued in a new format (like bringing old console games back to handheld consoles and phones/tablets). The private server crowd seems to have a huge segment in it for the money.

 

Let's say Sony shuts down EQ and EQ2 when (if) EQ Next comes out. (Unlikely, but this is a hypothetical.) Then some private servers for EQ and EQ2 spring up to "archive" the games for posterity. Whether they monetize their efforts or not (unlikely, running servers costs money, as does maintaining an online game), they are taking money out of the pockets of the IP owners. It doesn't matter if the IP owners have really deep pockets, it's still theft. Even making single player versions of the clients and distributing them has a similar, though likely smaller, effect.

 

So, big fat "meh." If someone wants to run a game server, let them program a game to run on it.

So there's no public domain for electronic media?

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There might be, but electronic media hasn't been around long enough for any of it to fall into the public domain, and the corporate stooges responsible statesmen in Congress keep extending the time it takes before copyright expires.  (For example, how many written works fall into the public domain this year?  Zero, because we're still stuck in one of those extension periods.)

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There might be, but electronic media hasn't been around long enough for any of it to fall into the public domain, and the corporate stooges responsible statesmen in Congress keep extending the time it takes before copyright expires.  (For example, how many written works fall into the public domain this year?  Zero, because we're still stuck in one of those extension periods.)

Good Point

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From two days ago, Thursday:

 

Canowindra suffers more grief with death of Stephanie Scott

 

Stephanie Scott, 26 was working as an English teacher at Leeton High in the New South Wales Riverina and a cleaner at the school has been charged with her murder. [...]

 

Her fianc Aaron Leeson-Woolley was also from the Canowindra area and the pair was due to marry this Saturday in Eugowra, about 30 kilometres away.

 
She was to be married today. :( :(
 
Today, 
 

Stephanie Scott: Friends, family gather for memorial picnic; Father says family will 'restore dignity' for his 'beautiful daughter'


Hundreds of people have gathered in the New South Wales town of Leeton to celebrate the life of popular teacher Stephanie Scott, on what would have been her wedding day.
 

The family of Ms Scott, including fiancé Aaron Leeson-Woolley, were joined by hundreds of friends and people from the community, after police said they believed a burned body found in bushland was that of the teacher.

 

Flanked by family and friends Mr Leeson-Woolley released bunches of balloons into the sky.

 

Ms Scott's father, Robert Scott, said floral tributes and written messages left outside Leeton High School, sent to the family and posted on social media, had given some comfort to the grieving family.

 
 

 

 

:( :(

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Sad.   

 

just out of curiosity, I checked, it is over 400 km from the area of NSW I visited.   I would like to visit Newcastle and the Hunter river valley again.  Probably won't happen. 

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UK government "lying" about Energy and environmental policies?

 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/01/uk_must_abandon_growth_to_cut_co2/

 

I would not be surprised if both sides are lying about some of the facts, but if Greens are arguing that wealth growth is a bad thing that makes environmental improvements impossible, then...

 

a related article said that the Green energy policies of the government have increased energy costs dramatically, NOT Gas markets...

 

 

I believe that Green technologies can make improvements, but someone has to pay for them, and I sure as HELL can't afford to.    I can't even afford to replace my dual pane windows, several of which have deteriorated internally so they look like they are frosted.   i sure can't afford to increase the insulation on the house, install a ground source heat pump and combined Solar Thermal and photovoltaic panels on the roof.  

 

Heck, I can't even afford to put awnings shading the South windows in order to cut the solar heating during the summer.  

 

Blech.  

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Hmm, this says indications are that Russia has 40k troops in Ukraine...  

 

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmurph/20150324.aspx

 

40k sounds a little low if they're including conscripts and criminals.

 

It's hard to overstate how crucial the last Russian intervention was.  The actual East Ukraine rebels are not that numerous or competent, so the Ukrainian regulars had them dead to rights, pinned down in Donetsk and Luhansk.  But they naively thought that Putin might actually respect the border.  When the Red Army rolled across, they caught the Ukrainian forces in the flank.  The Ukrainians were first forced to retreat from south of Donetsk, and got badly mauled in the process as they had to pass through a choke point that the Russians pounded with Grad missiles.  Then they got pinned down in Debaltseve and finally fled after a couple of weeks' worth of siege warfare.  Debaltseve is an incredibly critical junction, lying squarely between Donetsk and Luhansk.

 

So with these two actions, from a strategic standpoint, the Red Army not only managed to inflict heavy losses on the Kievans, but also were able to link up their two primary centers of gravity, shore up their flanks, threaten Mariupol, and cover it all with a favorably-timed (for Russia) ceasefire.  Any counterattack from Kiev now would be into the teeth of 40,000 reasonably dug-in Red Army troops, and conscripts or not, that's a tall order.

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40k sounds a little low if they're including conscripts and criminals.

 

It's hard to overstate how crucial the last Russian intervention was.  The actual East Ukraine rebels are not that numerous or competent, so the Ukrainian regulars had them dead to rights, pinned down in Donetsk and Luhansk.  But they naively thought that Putin might actually respect the border.  When the Red Army rolled across, they caught the Ukrainian forces in the flank.  The Ukrainians were first forced to retreat from south of Donetsk, and got badly mauled in the process as they had to pass through a choke point that the Russians pounded with Grad missiles.  Then they got pinned down in Debaltseve and finally fled after a couple of weeks' worth of siege warfare.  Debaltseve is an incredibly critical junction, lying squarely between Donetsk and Luhansk.

 

So with these two actions, from a strategic standpoint, the Red Army not only managed to inflict heavy losses on the Kievans, but also were able to link up their two primary centers of gravity, shore up their flanks, threaten Mariupol, and cover it all with a favorably-timed (for Russia) ceasefire.  Any counterattack from Kiev now would be into the teeth of 40,000 reasonably dug-in Red Army troops, and conscripts or not, that's a tall order.

Yeah, too bad the Ukrainians actually believed their treaty with Russia would offer protection in exchange for giving up their nukes...

 

They let their military decay, had almost none of their Mig29s in operation, etc...    

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I don't really blame them for letting their military go.  They couldn't afford it, or the nukes, and any kind of military aid from the West would have caused problems on Putin's doorstep.  The only real threat they faced was the Red Army, and a force that could actually have held off the Red Army would have been fabulously expensive. 

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So there's no public domain for electronic media?

 

Internet Archive might disagree.

 

Most don’t know that the Internet Archive also hosts:

 

https://medium.com/message/never-trust-a-corporation-to-do-a-librarys-job-f58db4673351

 

Open Culture has a lot of free stuff too. 

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The General who accused any troops who supported keeping the A-10 to Congress of TREASON has been fired.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/04/10/fired-for-treason-comments/25569181/

 

He will probably be allowed to retire gracefully, keeping his full pay...

 

I am not sure he should be.  

 

Yes, but will he be awarded his traditional vice president desk at McBoeing Northheed?

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